Social Democracy | Tim Klüssendorf to become new SPD General Secretary
Tim Klüssendorf has had a meteoric rise to the top. He has served in the Bundestag for the Social Democrats since 2021, and since last year has been the spokesperson for the Parliamentary Left in the SPD parliamentary group. On Monday, the executive committee unanimously proposed him as the party's new general secretary. He is scheduled to be elected at the party conference at the end of June, and will assume the position on an interim basis with immediate effect.
Born in Lübeck in 1991, Klüssendorf had a remarkable political career. At 16, he joined the SPD and became chairman of the Young Socialists (Jusos) Lübeck from 2010 to 2012. While studying economics and business administration in Hamburg, he became active in local politics. In 2013, he was elected to the Lübeck City Council, where he promoted issues such as family-friendliness and social work as youth policy spokesperson.
Klüssendorf said on Monday in Berlin that he has "tremendous respect" for the task of serving as Secretary General, but at the same time is "highly motivated." The 33-year-old intends to approach his work with a mixture of "humility, but also self-confidence" and identifies major challenges ahead: addressing the poor election results, formulating a program for the future, fighting for democracy, and fending off populism and extremism. During the coalition negotiations, he also warned against tightening migration policy and the citizen's income—which he called "regressive social and integration policy steps."
In his private life, Klüssendorf is a passionate footballer and was a member of the supervisory board of VfB Lübeck until October 2023. He now plays for FC Bundestag. with AFP
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